Haystacks

Haystacks is a fell in Cumbria’s Lake District, standing at the south-eastern end of Buttermere Valley. Though only 597 metres high, it draws walkers for its varied landscape of rock formations, tarns and hidden hollows. The name comes from the summit cliffs which resemble stacks of hay, a term borrowed from Icelandic geology. Alfred Wainwright, the famed fell-walker and author, chose Haystacks for his final resting place. His ashes were scattered near Innominate Tarn, and a memorial in Buttermere’s church looks out towards the fell. The hill connects two major ridge systems: the Great Gable group and the northern arm of the Buttermere horseshoe. From its summit, the view spans Great Gable, Ennerdale Water and the Buttermere lakes. The summit ridge runs east–west, with cairns marking both ends and a parallel ridge to the east. Innominate Tarn lies halfway along, its rocky shore dotted with tiny islets. Below the summit is a smaller unnamed tarn, while Blackbeck Tarn stretches slenderly to the east. Warnscale Beck cuts through the northern crags, fed by streams rising near Great Round How. Quarry remains on the upper slopes recall past industry, including Dubs Quarry once linked by tramway to Honister Pass. Fleetwith Pike rises across Warnscale, adding to the dramatic skyline. The northern face shows steep crags rising from Gatesgarth, with Green Crag on the left and Big Stack at the top. Scarth Gap Pass, at 450 metres, offers a walker’s route between Buttermere and Ennerdale. Many climbs start from Buttermere village, either via Scarth Gap or Warnscale. A longer route through Dubs Quarry can shorten the ascent from Honister. The fell’s beauty lies in its contrasts: rugged rock, smooth tarns and sweeping views across two valleys. Wainwright called it the finest fell-top for its ‘beauty, variety and interesting detail’.